After two good away wins, we have a couple of home games, starting tonight against Everton.
This, of course, is our game in hand, and a win tonight would extend our lead at the top of the table to five points. After a difficult game and poor result at Goodison Park a few weeks ago, there is a measure of ‘revenge’ to this one, the need to put things right.
Playing at home should suit us better, as we will have a familiar and well-kept field to play on. In the away game, Everton’s pitch was dry, slow and while it wasn’t the only reason we didn’t win that day, it played a role. Our inability to move the ball fast enough was a factor in that performance, but we have to admit it was a bad day as well.
Mikel Arteta spoke at his press conference yesterday, saying:
It’s about doing things better than when we played them a few weeks ago and earning the right to win the game. Obviously with Sean it’s pretty clear what he’s done and where the success they’ve had has come from.
We have to look at certain matches, what they do and try to get the right tactics to beat them, and also the same mindset and expectation of what we demand in the game.
After a well-controlled performance against Leicester, it will be interesting to see if the boss makes any changes. If Thomas Partey is 100%, you would definitely bring him back ahead of Jorginho, who has been good, but also seemed a bit of a leg at the end of the last game. That extra spark in what is likely to be a packed midfield could be crucial.
The other decision is whether or not to call Eddie Nketiah before Leandro Trossard. Personally, I would go with the Belgian tonight. He was unfortunate enough not to have a big goal to his name last weekend, and he provided the assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s goal. His replacement for Eddie on 70 minutes was not a reflection of his performance, he was probably our best attacking player on the day, and the way he plays that central position could be more useful for us tonight against a struggling Everton side. to do. what they did at Goodison and sit down deeply.
Eddie has worked on his combined game over the past 18 months and it has developed well, but Trossard, who plays most of his football side-by-side, is a bit more of a natural in that regard. When you consider that it will take skillful passing and movement to get the opposition out of form, to make room for the chances we’ll need to win the game, it seems like the best option to me. It doesn’t mean Eddie won’t have a role to play at some point, but I’d stick with signing January early on.
There is inevitable pressure with games like this in seasons like this. These points are very important, and we have not been at our best in recent home games. Hopefully a good start will put everyone at ease, and the support of the fans can see Everton back on their heels. It’s worth remembering that we had moments against them in the away game that could have easily changed the face of the game. Being efficient when we have chances, using the width of the field to shoot and stretch them, playing with a little more pace – all of those things should help.
We know we have the quality to beat almost any team in this league, so let’s hope we can build on these last two wins and take all three points tonight.
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As I mentioned yesterday, the game isn’t on TV in the UK and Ireland, so to help keep you up to date, we’ll have live blog coverage for you, as always. As well as all the post game material on Arseblog News.
The preview podcast is also on Patreon now.
See you later for all that. Let’s go Arsenal!
